Weird News

by

August 26, 2016

A penguin has been promoted to brigadier in the King of Norway's Guard.

Sir Nils Olav, a king penguin at Edinburgh Zoo, who has been an honorary member of the Norwegian Guard, has now gone up the ranks and been promoted from knight to brigadier. The ceremony, which was held for the highly decorated animal, was witnessed by 50 Norwegian soldiers who visited the Scottish capital as part of this year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Barbara Smith from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland said: "We are honoured to host His Majesty the King of Norway's Guard as they bestow a prestigious new title upon our king penguin, Sir Nils Olav. It is a very proud moment and represents the close collaboration between our two countries, Scotland and Norway."

Official military animal mascots are a longstanding tradition in the armed forces, with a Lance Corporal Shetland pony in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and a Fusilier goat in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Welsh.

A man has died from the mould inside his bagpipes.

The 61-year-old man, who practised the instrument every day, had been ill for a number of years after inhaling pathogens had caused inflammation and irreversible scarring. Doctors discovered the bagpipes may have been causing his illness when he travelled abroad for a few months without the instrument and found his condition improved. Dr Jenny King, who helped treat the piper, told the BBC that if caught early, the symptoms could have been treated with a good prognosis.

She said: "Sadly, in his case, the damage was fatal. If you can diagnose these problems early and remove the trigger, then they can be treated and the prognosis is really good." Musicians are now being urged to clean their instruments regularly, and should consult a doctor if they develop a cough or breathlessness that may be linked to their practice.

A 17-year-old girl has been receiving steamy messages after she posted pictures of her news headphones online.

Catrin Williams innocently shared the shots on her Snapchat account and now has now found herself the subject of some unwanted attention. One male user sent her a message in response to the picture, saying: "You wearing those, and nothing else, that would be heaven." The teen told the MailOnline: "I wasn't all too surprised when I received the messages as I do get fairly odd messages like that often, as do most of the girls I know."

Rapidly improving technology means that brothels made up of sex robots could start being produced.

Law professor John Danaher has done research into human enhancement and artificial intelligence and believes robots could be a good substitute for humans, as it would lower the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. He told the Daily Star newspaper: "The cyborgs can cater for desire for sexual variety, freedom from constraint and complication, and fear of lack of sexual success.

"Technology may become better at developing emotional bonds with their clients. They won't need to 'fake it' the same way as human prostitutes." John also claimed that the sex robots could stamp out trafficking, as the robots would be cheaper than humans."